It is one thing to drive a vehicle from London, Ont. to Colorado in the middle of winter.

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...for a newbie to consider towing a new Airstream over the route you are considering in the middle of winter may not be a great idea. Other than being excited about your new trailer, is there a reason that you can not undertake this journey when the weather is better? If it is not necessary to do this, then it is necessary not to do it imho.

I'm with Dan on this one.

However, if you do decide to go for it...be safe and don't limit yourself to a time schedule - just go with the flow, if the roads aren't dry & clear, wait until they are.

One more reason not to go in the dead of winter in a snow storm...Mag Cloride or any of the other road salts! Yes, your new trailer has a clearcoat on it, but every little rock that jumps up and hits your trailer (snowplows?) can breach the surface enough for the salts to get in behind it. Salts are awful on aluminum* and will corrode things faster than you can imagine.

If you still decide to go, wash your new baby off at a truck stop/self-serve carwash as soon as possible to minimize the time the corrosive salt is on your trailer.

Shari

*As an experiment, make a loose paste of table salt & water, put it on a sheet of aluminum foil, wait & see what happens overnight!

A couple of suggestions for you zlee. I'm sure Can-Am will set you up with all of the proper towing equipment, and maybe even take you for a spin with trailer in tow to get you acquainted with towing. Ask if they don't offer that last bit of advice. Be certain that your tow hitch is set up properly, as well as your brake controller.
I've towed a SOB in the middle of the summer, and it was still a white knuckle experience, simply because I didn't have sway control (13.5ft, towed with a T-Bird, not the best setup) and it was a true religious experience each and every time a tractor trailer came FLYING past us on the Interstate (South Carolina to Central Florida).
Learned my lesson then, be prepared with anything you might want or need BEFORE you hit the road. Now is not the time to skimp. You're making an investment in your Airstream, and you want it to be nice as long as you can possibly do so.
I will say this, I'd avoid night-time travel until you know you feel comfortable with your Airstream and tow vehicle. I tend to do my personal traveling in the middle of the night, simply because of less traffic. Now, this traveling is by car, not by motorhome, we'll see this summer about that part.....
Best of all, you'll be an Airstream owner! Enjoy your Airstream on your way back home!
Thanks, Derek

I'm hoping for good weather, but as I said, if there's bad weather and it stretches out too long for me to get back for work, I'll find somewhere safe to leave it til I can get back to it, whether that's at the beginning of the trip or anywhere along the way.

X - z

__________________
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird

Zlee
When you say your lease will be up do you mean your vehicle ? If so why not wait until you get your new vehicle and have Can Am set it up ? They will spend a few hours going over the trailer, the hitch and a test drive with you.

Zlee
When you say your lease will be up do you mean your vehicle ? If so why not wait until you get your new vehicle and have Can Am set it up ? They will spend a few hours going over the trailer, the hitch and a test drive with you.

No, I mean my lease on my housing. I'm going to be full timing.

__________________
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird

Have you thought about this (I know, crazy) idea... Why not leave London (Ontario) to pick up "London" by pulling into a hotel and letting your Englishman take a taxi to your hotel? Get a room in nearby Oakbrook Terrace or Lombard, IL. His taxi ride would be 20 minutes. Wouldn't that be a lot less stressful for you?

I grew up right outside of O'Hare, in Elmhurst, IL. I know the route to ORD like the back of my hand. The traffic is talked about a lot and it is heavy but you've already proven yourself tough enough to handle it.

I only put this idea out there because the whole Rockford area thing is a long way from O'Hare (in time, traffic, and aggravation but maybe not miles.) If this were my trip I would pull into any of the Oakbrook Terrace, Yorktown, or Lombard hotels (plenty of deals on Expedia/Priceline) because this area is close to the airport, you can park a trailer/car in the hotel lots, and you are not far off of your I-80 route. It would take more effort on your partner's part, but hey, you are pulling your fair share.

When I go back to visit family, I go to priceline.com and type in that I want a 5 star hotel in those cities and want to pay $75-90. I have stayed at some amazing hotels that usually run over $220/nt. The Westin, Embassey Suites, there's the McDonald's World HQ Hotel that is like a luxury forested resort and it is right there. Just sayin'

The downside is that you don't get your first night in the Bambino and it would cost a little more money for the room vs. gas/campsite --but maybe not. I've got a 16' Bambi and pull it with an F-350 Diesel (way overkill) but I have it superchipped and get 34 mpg. When I pulled it with my husband's Yukon Denali, I get 8-11 mpg.

Whatever you decide, you're my hero! We women who drive and tow and pull are awesome. I've been through London, Ontario and you'll actually pass me in Flint, MI if you take the Blue Water Bridge (I-69) into Michigan. If you need a pit stop, I'm right off the expressway. Would love to toast all of your dreams coming true!

Mellen, I was thinking of stopping at Bolingbrook, as there's an Aloft there and if they have parking, I've always wanted to spend a night or two in one! I'll def consider closer, though.

You're right, I've done rather a lot of driving in all kinds of vehicles, and I'm not particularly nervous of driving in Chicago -- just of towing in Chicago! Though I'm giving myself four whole days to get from London to Chicago. TBH, I'm hoping to get there pretty early and finally get to see The Field Museum again as I've tried the last few times I've been in Chicago and never managed.

At any rate, are you kidding? I'm definitely going to meet my guy at O'Hare--we haven't seen each other in months, so I'll be hopping up and down impatiently at Int'l Arrivals.

I'd LOVE to come by Flint -- I'll PM you, I haven't really made solid plans, as I figure what with possible weather, a border crossing, and who knows what all, I'll just take it as it comes. But I'd def love to share a toast over the Bambino with you one way or another!

__________________
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird

A couple of suggestions for you zlee. I'm sure Can-Am will set you up with all of the proper towing equipment, and maybe even take you for a spin with trailer in tow to get you acquainted with towing. Ask if they don't offer that last bit of advice. Be certain that your tow hitch is set up properly, as well as your brake controller.
I've towed a SOB in the middle of the summer, and it was still a white knuckle experience, simply because I didn't have sway control (13.5ft, towed with a T-Bird, not the best setup) and it was a true religious experience each and every time a tractor trailer came FLYING past us on the Interstate (South Carolina to Central Florida).
Learned my lesson then, be prepared with anything you might want or need BEFORE you hit the road. Now is not the time to skimp. You're making an investment in your Airstream, and you want it to be nice as long as you can possibly do so.
I will say this, I'd avoid night-time travel until you know you feel comfortable with your Airstream and tow vehicle. I tend to do my personal traveling in the middle of the night, simply because of less traffic. Now, this traveling is by car, not by motorhome, we'll see this summer about that part.....
Best of all, you'll be an Airstream owner! Enjoy your Airstream on your way back home!
Thanks, Derek

I don't think Zlee will have too much to worry about if Can Am are sorting her out. They wouldn't let her off the lot without making sure she was set up absolutely.